Real Madrid visit Benfica: UEFA Champions League – all to know

Who: Benfica vs Real Madrid
What: UEFA Champions League
Where: Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal
When: Wednesday, January 27 astatine 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll person each the buildup connected Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT successful beforehand of our substance commentary stream.

The league signifier of this season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) reaches its finale connected Wednesday with immoderate of Europe’s biggest names facing crunch ties – nary bigger possibly than Jose Mourinho starring Benfica against his erstwhile nine Real Madrid.

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Both sides are successful request of a triumph if they are execute their contrasting aims astatine this stage, with Benfica facing elimination from competing connected the continent this season.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look astatine a necktie that has truthful overmuch riding connected it, including immoderate tiny idiosyncratic pridefulness for 1 of Real’s astir palmy coaches.

What are Real Madrid’s Champions League chances?

Real person endured a turbulent season, with their manager Xabi Alonso sacked aft lone 7 months successful charge, but a superior situation tin inactive beryllium mounted for a Spanish and European double.

Los Blancos find themselves blistery connected the heels of Barcelona successful La Liga, having concisely claimed apical spot erstwhile they beat Villarreal connected Saturday, lone for their rivals to reclaim the acme connected Sunday.

In the Champions League, a gully whitethorn beryllium capable to unafraid their automatic transition to the past 16, but lone a triumph volition warrant it.

What are Benfica’s Champions League chances?

A triumph is an implicit indispensable for Benfica, but it whitethorn not beryllium capable to unafraid a spot successful the playoffs fixed the Portuguese giant’s unsmooth tally this season.

The Lisbon-based nine presently beryllium successful 29th position, retired of the 36 competing teams, 2 points from claiming 1 of the 16 playoff spots.

A minus 4 extremity quality volition besides hamper Benfica arsenic they question to ascent supra 5 teams to debar elimination from the competition.

The home league play has seen them spell unbeaten to date, but they person drawn six much games than leaders Porto, who are 10 points wide and likewise unbeaten.

How does Champions League qualification enactment from the league phase?

The apical 8 teams automatically suffice for the circular of 16; the pursuing 16 teams participate two-legged playoffs.

The bottommost 12 teams, of which Benfica are presently one, driblet retired of each continental contention this season.

Real are presently 3rd with 15 points, but the 10 teams instantly beneath them each person the accidental to scope 16 points – which could spot Los Blancos descent dramatically if they lose, portion a gully volition permission them sweating connected different results.

When was Jose Mourinho manager of Real Madrid?

The erstwhile Chelsea, Inter Milan and Manchester United manager was successful complaint astatine Real for 3 seasons pursuing his assignment successful May  2010.

It followed immense occurrence astatine Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, wherever helium won the Champions League with the erstwhile and the latter, portion besides securing a archetypal top-flight rubric successful 40 years for Chelsea.

Mourinho lone took implicit astatine Benfica successful September, replacing Bruno Lage arsenic manager aft a dilatory commencement to the season.

What was Jose Mourinho’s grounds astatine Real Madrid and what did helium win?

Mourinho finished 2nd to Barcelona successful his archetypal play successful charge, contempt Cristiano Ronaldo starring the La Liga scoring charts with 40 goals that season.

Lionel Messi smashed successful 50 goals the pursuing season, but it was Real’s Portuguese brace that emerged smiling with Real’s archetypal league rubric successful 3 years – Barca claimed the crown successful each of those seasons.

Mourinho’s stint astatine Bernabeu came to an extremity the pursuing play erstwhile Barcelona won the rubric by 15 points – it remains the biggest winning borderline successful the competition’s history.

How galore times person Real Madrid and Benfica won the Champions League?

Real are the grounds winners of Europe’s premier nine contention with 15 titles to their name. The past coming successful 2024.

Benfica person lifted the trophy connected 2 occasions, and some of those came successful consecutive years.

In what was regarded arsenic Benfica’s aureate era, Portuguese fable Eusebio helped the squad to wins against Barcelona successful 1961, and Real Madrid successful 1962.

A hat-trick from Hungary’s finest export, Ferenc Puskas, could not prevention Real, with Benfica moving retired 5-3 winners – which included a treble from Eusebio.

When did Real Madrid past look Benfica successful the Champions League?

The 2 European giants person not met since March 17, 1965, erstwhile Real won 2-1 successful Madrid.

It was not capable to overturn their knockout necktie aft Benfica claimed the archetypal limb 5-1 successful Lisbon 3 weeks earlier.

Head-to-head

This is staggeringly lone the 4th gathering betwixt 2 of the biggest clubs from Spain and Portugal.

Benfica borderline the matches 2-1, with the archetypal gathering betwixt the clubs coming successful the last successful May 1962.

Benfica squad news

Alexander Bah, Samuel Soares, Dodi Lukebakio and Henrique Araujo each stay absent done injury. Richard Rios is adjacent to a return, but this lucifer whitethorn travel excessively soon.

Sidny Lopes Cabral and Rafa Silva, who some arrived successful the January transportation window, are ineligible to feature.

Benfica predicted starting lineup (4-2-3-1)

Trubin; Dedic, Araujo, Otamendi, Dahl; Aursnes, Barrenechea; Prestianni, Barreiro, Sudakov; Pavlidis

Real Madrid squad news

Real Madrid invited backmost Aurelien Tchouameni, who sat retired Saturday’s triumph against Villarreal owed to suspension.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s thigh, Antonio Rudiger’s knee, and Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy’s hamstrings mean the Spaniards are airy crossed the backline.

Real Madrid predicted starting lineup (4-3-3)

Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouameni, Bellingham, Guler; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius